About NRDC

Meet NRDC's Experts

Karen Hobbs
Senior Policy Analyst, Water Program

Areas of Focus

Water policy, water efficiency, climate change, green infrastructure, water supply alternatives, sustainability, curbing pollution, health and the environment, living sustainably.

Bio

Karen Hobbs joined the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in August 2010 as a senior policy analyst based in its Midwest office, where she focuses on green infrastructure and water efficiency policy in the Great Lakes Basin. Karen works with a range of partners to ensure full implementation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact; improve the efficiency and performance of plumbing fixtures and appliances; and identify opportunities to maximize green infrastructure investment by municipalities and wastewater utilities. Karen also works with craft beer brewers to highlight the importance of clean water and the Clean Water Act. Prior to joining NRDC, Karen served as First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of the Environment, where she oversaw the development and initial implementation of the Chicago Climate Action Plan. She was also the Director of Research for the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology, and, during the Clinton Administration, Associate Director of the White House Task Force on Livable Communities and Director of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Karen has a master's in public policy from the University of Chicago.